No Longer A Lonely Heart
by hillary adelheide
Summary: Bella finally realizes her love for Jacob, but in this version it's before she knows that he loves her. Takes place in New Moon.
1. Chapter 1

His russet colored fur gleamed in the light that bounced off the waves of water on the beach. Gracefully he stepped on the rocks worn smooth by hundreds of years of constant abuse by the ocean. His shaggy head was turned toward the water and I couldn't see his face.

I tiptoed daintily behind him, not wanting to disturb his pensive state, and yet, yearning to be a part of the relationship that stretched from wolf to ocean, to sky, to earth.

His majestic face turned back to me, slowly, and in the slowest way possible his body became less wolf-like. He leaned back onto his hind legs, simultaneously they lengthened while his torso became shorter and straighter. His face was tilted toward the heavens as his fur began to disappear. When he was human again he looked at me and I giggled.

"JAKE!" I laughed, blushing madly and turning away.

He looked down and though I wasn't looking I was sure he blushed too.

"Sorry Bells," he laughed nervously and I heard him race away across the rocks. When I turned to look I saw him back in his wolf form, running away from me into the forest. For a moment I was worried that I had embarrassed him and that he was going to go home, but soon I saw him emerge from the forest wearing a pair of sweatpants that were usually tethered to his wolf leg.

He was grinning at me and even from far away I could see the gleam of his white teeth against his beautiful dark skin. He walked forward with a questioning look in his eyes.

"Sorry Bella I get so comfortable around you I forgot..."

"Don't worry about it Jake, sometimes I get so excited I run around naked too!" I laughed at him and he grinned back, still somewhat sheepishly.

He advanced quickly and closed the few steps between us, hugging me tightly. "Bella, I don't know what I'm going to do when you go off to college."

"Do we have to talk about this now Jake?" I replied, annoyed. The beauty of the life around us was too much to give up- to be thinking about professors and more classrooms.

"Yes, Bella, we do."

"Jake" I said, in my "please don't do this to me" voice.

He had long since pulled away from the hug, and now I took another step backward, wrapping myself in my arms tightly, wondering if a part of me was going to fall out and rush away in the ocean…

He eyed me sadly. "I thought you stopped that."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Trying to hold yourself together."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I snapped, turning my face toward the sea and forcing my mind blank. I plopped my small body down on the nearest boulder, worn smooth by the sea. I looked away from the water and down at my arms, still wound tightly around me, trying to convince myself that I was only cold. When I looked up I saw him walking towards me. Finally he kneeled in front of me, taking my hands and pulling them off from around me.

"Bella," he said "It's been so long."

"I know Jake, I'm fine. I'm just cold."

"Why do I not believe that?" he asked me.

I stared at his dark eyes and his masculine face, stared at his brown skin and slowly I pulled my hand from his and touched his face. My skin was ivory, frail and sickly looking next to the health that resonated in Jacob's very nature. He was the opposite of me, a clear yet refreshing opposite. His body was tall and muscular, I was short and small. He was the sun, the product of water, earth, and sky, the fire itself. The warmth of his skin spread throughout my hand and traveled down my arm like a medicine, closer and closer to my heart.

His eyes were soft and questioning, and I knew the look on my face was probably a very poor mask of the emotions I was feeling. But as I felt the warmth from his body seep through my skin it fought inside me, it fought the desperation and cold that had trapped me.

Suddenly, as I felt my eyes widen and my face brighten I came to one very certain realization, that I needed Jacob Black like a dying woman needs medicine… I needed him like the earth needs the sun, I needed his body touching mine and his heart beat to hold my own steady.

I saw my hand on his face, and the thin crescent shaped scar that sparkled faintly in the sunlight. A sharp pain pinched my side, but it was bearable. With Jacob, it was bearable, and I was comforted that my aching heart would not have to beat alone any more as it had, even before when _he _was here. I knew now, more than ever before that he would not return.

Jacob's eyes were wide in response to my own, and I knew that he was puzzled. He placed his hand over mine and said "Bella.."

"Jake, you're my best friend." I replied. He squeezed the hand that he still held and smiled a tentative smile. "You know you're mine too Bells" he said.

I smiled back, and he began to stand and pull me to my feet.

"Jake," I said, and he turned to look at me. I was staring past him, at the ocean. "Jake" I repeated, and he snickered. "Yeeees?" He asked, dramatically.

I looked at him and smiled with all of the warmth inside me. "What if I love you Jake?"

Thanks for reading my first real story. I hope that you like it, and like I said in the summary, it's definitely a feel-good thing because it's not like BellaxJacob has never been done before. (Well and I'm a sucker for romance.) Just review and let me know how to improve my writing, what you like or don't, ideas, suggestions, you name it!

Love always,

Hillary


	2. Chapter 2

"**Jake," I said, and he turned to look at me. I was staring past him, at the ocean. "Jake" I repeated, and he snickered. "Yeeees?" He asked, dramatically.**

**I looked at him and smiled with all of the warmth inside me. "What if I love you Jake?"**

_**I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. Stephenie Meyer is, however, my hero.**_

_**--**_

So quickly I almost missed it, Jake's jaw dropped, but before I knew it he was calm and collected, the Jacob that wasn't mine.

"Yeah, Bella, I love you too you know" he reached over to give me a noogie. "It's not like I want you to die," he added, just to clarify.

I was taken aback at his nonchalance, but I realized that he had no reason to believe me. His eyes were carefully measuring my expression, while I still had no idea what expression it was that he was measuring. I was sure it was an expression of shock.

"No, Jake, I'm serious."

"Yeah me too Bells" he laughed "I really don't want you to die."

I tried my hardest to smile, but the warmth had escaped me. Jake turned to continue his graceful saunter down the beach and I followed him, wanting nothing more than to bury myself in the sand and wish that I had never opened my mouth.

--

I arrived back in Forks around Sunset, just in time to start Charlie's dinner. I whipped him up some spaghetti and tried my hardest to eat with him. Charlie was eating quickly and I giggled a little bit. He looked up at me with a noodle still dangling from his mouth.

He swallowed and asked "What are you giggling about?"

"You're making a mess dad." I smiled a weak smile.

"This spaghetti is really good Bells, you haven't made it like this in a while. It tastes like you added a little extra garlic or something."

I giggled some more. "No dad, I tried out a new recipe. I made it with chicken this time."

Charlie suddenly gazed down at his plate in surprise. "Well. I'll be. It's great."

I smiled halfheartedly and looked down at my plate.

"How's Jacob, you were in LaPush today weren't you? Billy said he's been acting strange."

I started at the sound of Jake's name but tried to hide it by scratching my neck. "Uhh…" I stalled, "He's great. We just walked around down by the beach today."

"Hmmm." Charlie said. "You seem on the edge today kid, but you have a little more color in your cheeks again. I like that."

My stomach turned at the mention of the pain I'd been enduring these last few months.

"Dad. Please."

"It's just that the more you hang out with Jake the better you're looking." He paused for a minute and smiled. "Billy thinks he has a thing for you."

"DAD!" I nearly fell out of my chair.

"Well I would approve, you know. Just in case you were wondering. He's a great kid-almost like family."

My face was bright red and I stuttered to think of something. Jake and me. Me and Jacob. The prospect was something unheard of… something… something not altogether bad or scary. My head was spinning, and all I could think of was his shaggy hair, his genuine smile, his russet skin. I could only think of the way his presence intoxicated me and filled me with hope and happiness.

Suddenly I looked at Charlie and smiled a little. "Do you know that he likes me? I mean, for sure?"

Charlie laughed. "Bella, me and Billy aren't teenage girls, you're going to have to go to school for this kind of gossip." He stopped and smiled warmly at me, and then continued. "I'm sure he does though, he spends all that time with you, Billy even said his friends in LaPush are complaining to him when they come to the house and he's out with you."

I slowly got up from my seat and gathered my plate in my arms. "Seconds?" I asked Charlie.

"No thanks, I had some chips before I left the station." He grinned a little guiltily "Not good for the cholesterol I hear but I didn't know if you'd be home to make dinner. I thought you might of stayed out longer with Jacob."

I grabbed his plate too and carried both to the sink before dipping them in the soapy water and beginning to wash.

I heard Charlie get up from his chair behind me. "Well I'll be in the living room, if you go back down to LaPush when you're done tell Billy I said hi." I could hear the grin in his voice.

--

Thanks for Reading! Please review and let me know what you think! I have a good feeling about this story. Thanks to the two reviewers I have so far, TashaB. And Ashbadash. I appreciate it you guys, I hope this chapter didn't disappoint you. Sorry so short, more to come soon.


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